
QassJiiZIMl 
Book Aa/^5 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



THE GAME 



DEAW-POKER, 



MATHEMATICALLY- ILLUSTRATED 



EG A COMPLETE TREATISE ON THE GAME, GIVING THE PROSPECTITE 

I VALUE OF EACH HAND BEFORE AND AFTER THE DRAW, AND 

THE TRUE METHOD OF DISCARDING AND DRAWING, 

WITH A THOROUGH ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT 

OF THE GAME AS PLAYED AT THE 

PRESENT DAY BY GENTLEMEN. 



HENRY T. WINTERBLOSSOM, 

Professor of Mathematics, 




NEW-YORK : 

.^M. H. MURPHY, PRINTER AND PUBLISHER. 



18Y5. 



,Ia/j-, 



^ 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, by Willi J 
H. Murphy, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washingtd 



INTRODUCTORY PREFACE 



AMING, or gambling, in some form, has existed from time im- 
memorial. If we consider the word in a pastoral sense, it will 
lest to us the earliest efforts of the primitive savage to provide 
■elf with food, at a period of the year when fruit and herbs could 
be obtained. In his various attempts to thus supply his wants, force 

ratagem, as the occasion demanded, was called into play. The 
pie of chances and the law of supply and demand were not, perhaps, 

ehold words with him at this period of his existence ; but it will 
for our purpose to believe that success or failure in his enterprise 

^dered in his breast emotions of a very opposite nature. 

■ excitement of gambling, which is nothing more than the mixed 

lire and pain arising from the alternation of hope and fear, success 
lailure, is a necessity which all men feel, though in different degrees 
Iding to the difference of temperament. The savage who, as Taci- 

forms us, will even stake him.self, when everything he possessed is 
lied away, and the blushing, nervous girl of 14, who has (to use 
■English) "bet" her first dollar in a raffle at a Church fair, may be 

iered the extreme exponents of this vice. It is not ojar purpose 
Irm the reader by endeavoring to prove that gambling islindigenous 

1 human family, and that primeval man was born with a dice-box 

I hjand. Nor do we wdsh to emphasize the recent discovery in Cen- 
l-frica, which goes to show that the Troglodytes^ progenitors doubt - 
Mr. Darwin, use gold tooth-picks and are experts at the game ol' 



PREFACE. 



backgammon. We wish, however, to put on record the following truism : 
All games of chance create a morbid appetite in those who indulge in 
them, in proportion to their ignorance of the mathematical basis itpon 
which those games are constructed. This sentence, like the shakje of 
Burleigh's head, may be too profound for the average intellect, so wQi^jsritl 
explain it. ^;- 

Suppose, for instance, two persons stake a dollar on the toss of a 
copper, the chance of winning or losing is equal, and they might play 
for a week without either improving his fortune in the least. But let 
one of them lay $25 to one, that the other cannot call correctly th| fail 
of the copper five times consecutively, and an extraordinary metamo^ho- 
sis takes place. Instantly they are ranged in bitter antagonism. .vOne 
of the contestants thus transformed becomes the '*Banque," cool am de- 
termined, confident that the twenty per cent, which the conditicfe of 
the wager place in his favor will, in the long run, give him possftion 
of all the money that may be staked on the issue. The other w^ be 
at once recognized as the infatuated dupe, whose cupidity the illsisive 
prize has brought out in bold relief, and who will play days an(fifeven 
years without power to check his downward progress in the destructive 
current in which he is launched. Now it is not reasonable to suppose 
that a person will thus play against an impossibility (in a mathematical 
point of view) of winning, and be conscious of the fact ; hence we are 
led to the inevitable conclusion that, in almost every instance, his infat- 
uation with the game is in direct ratio to his ignorance of the doctrine of 
chances. Everybody knows that the toss of a copper is an even chaace ; 
to guess it five times running is one chance in thirty-two : theret ore, in 
our illustration, every twenty-five dollars won costs in the loiig- run 
thirty-one. Of course the toss of the copper is merely typical of Knes 
of chance generally, all of which, no matter how played or deti itjuned, 
owe their fascination to the insidious method of presenting to thv imagi- 
nation a large prize and deftly concealing, as far as possible, tie difii- 
culty of getting it. 



PREFACE, V. 

The reader, at this juncture, may perhaps appear anxious to know what 
all this has to do with the game of Draw-Poker. We will state it in 
a few words. 

In playing Poker, five cards are dealt to the player, which may be 
tei^^ f. his preliminary " hand ;" he examines it and if, in his judgment, 
:h the " ante" required of each one who wishes to be interested 
in ill*- ' pot," he puts in the necessary sum. If not, he throws up his 
canlti. Now as each one who " stands" has the privilege of *' discarding' ' 
an ' df iwing fresh cards, equal in number to those discarded, it becomes 
a ^'^.'] question to know what kind of hand one should stand on, and 
what Vmd he should throw up. This, of course, is the first step in our 
i:n'. .-;■ ration of the game, and we have endeavored to make it perfectly 
ble to the reader. 4 All the various combinations that go to make 
up ft^J^er hands are then analyzed, and their mathematical expectations 
givenif We have throughout the volume laid great stress on the question 
of pel centage, believing beyond doubt that the player who will avail 
hiiiLsei ' of the advantage which certain combinations give, will, in the 
majoifcy of cases, have it in his favor, and must, in the long run, win. 
We bj^'e pointed out also, in a clear manner, the numerous pit-holes 
into which the amateur, as a rule, invariably stumbles ; nor indeed is 
ev^^ry'Jl<ne who thinks himself a proficient in the game, entirely free 
from ^,ch mishaps. Under ordinary circumstances, many years of ex- 
peri<jn|e and close observation, are absolutely required to perfect the 
student in navigating the intricate passages that are always encountered 
in rhe game. This, it is unnecessary to say, is not the least expensive part 
of his a|.prenticeship. It has therefore been our object, in preparing this 
volujT'^ to keep steadily in view the principle of conservatism ; and 
wt lie ^4:is course may perhaps in a limited degree be open to the charge 
of ui;tj(lity, no one will regret in the end having pursued it. The most 
brill! 1^3 play is rarely satisfactory when it terminates in a loss. We 
hav« 11 ed our best efforts to circumscribe, within moderate bounds, the 
amoui t of money that should be involved in any one hand. Draw- 



. PREFACE. 



Poker, unfortunately, is one 6f the few games that cannot be played so 
as to afford any pleasure, without the interchange of money. Indeed 
one might as well go on a gunning expedition with blank-cartridge, as 
to play Poker for " fun." 

In concluding these prefatory remarks, it may be looked upon as an 
omission if no reference be made to, an important element in the game 
known as "Bluffing." In former days, when the betting was unlimited , 
this was frequently the determining feature of a hand, no matter what the 
cards were ; and to bluff an opponent,- while holding yourself "nary pair," 
was the pinnacle of ambition at which all players aimed. In modern 
Poker however, bluffing is secondary in consequence of the numerous 
'restrictions which are imposed on it. Notwithstanding, in the hands 
of a judicious player, it will always remain a power that must, under no 
circumstances, be slighted. To convey to the reader an adequate con- 
ception of precisely what it is and how and when it is to be used, vv^ould 
necessitate the invention of a new language, more copious and commu- 
nicative than our present mother tongue. We have nevertheless, at 
various points throughout the volume, given hints as to its use, trusting 
to the skill and experience of the reader to thoroughly develop it a^ 
occasion demands. 

All calculations that appertain to Draw-Poker hands are necessarily 
approximate ; and the degree of approximation is determined by the 
nature of the combination presented, — some admitting of nearly strict 
accuracy, others, again, being extremely variable. The early mathe- 
maticians, Galileo, Cardan, Huyghens, and Bernoulli had to deal chiefly 
with dice, the combinations of which admit of positive solutions. These 
eminent men considered it a public duty to analyze and publish to the 
world the results of their investigations. In England, the appearance 
ot Simpson's Laws of Chance was more effectual in curbing the desire 
for gambling than all the essays that had, up to that period, been written 
against it. Id Prance, while gambUng was legalized, the government 
had every game oi chance examined by mathematical experts, and the 



P H E F A C E . Vii. 

per centage in favor of the * Ban que' was rigidly established, and never 
permitted to exceed seven per cent, in the aggregate. As before re- 
marked, Poker bands must of necessity be measured by an arbitrary 
standard, for the reason that hands which involve in their drawing 
similar mathematical difficulties are, when obtained, totally different in 
value. For instance, it is as hard to draw three Deuces as to draw three 
Aces, and the value of the latter, it is unnecessary to say, is infinitely 
superior to the former. Hence each hand has to be equated, m accord- 
ance with the standard erected to determine its relative value, and the 
results arrived at may be considered, for all practicable purposes, suffi- 
ciently accurate. 

We have no disposition to complicate the volume with needless dis- 
sertations on mathematical niceties ; our object is to give results in as 
few words as possible. We think, however, that the reader should be 
made acquainted with the principle upon which the calculations are based, 
and a simple problem will illustrate it. Suppose a full pack of cards 
is thoroughly shuffled and five cards are dealt you, which consist for in 
stance, of four Hearts and a card of an odd suit. Your object is to make 
a flush of hearts, and you discard the odd suit and draw a fresh card 
from the pack. Now, before seeing the fresh card, you wish to determine 
what your chance of making the flush is. You know of course that you 
hold four hearts in your hand, and that there are nine others among the 
47 cards which remain in the pack. It is clear then that your chance* 
is as 9 to 47, which would be 5 2-9 to 1 against your making it. Al- 
though m this illustration there is but one hand dealt, it is immaterial 
hoiv many hands are dealt, the chalice remaining always the same. This 
we will illustrate in the following example : let five cards be dealt to you 
from a full pack ; let us assume that three of them are Aces, and that 
you discard the two odd cards and draw two fresh ones from the pack, 
and that before seeing them you calculate the chancers of getting \n 
another Ace in the draw. It is certain that the fourth Ace is among the 
forty-seven cards that remain in the pack, and that the two cards you 



Vlil. P R li F A C E . 

draw entitle you to 2:47 of the certainty. It is therefore 23 J- to 1 
against your drawing it. This is indisputable. Now suppose that five 
others are playing with you, all of whom agree to remain "in," and, 
that they discard and receive ten cards among them, making thirty-five 
cards which they have taken from the 47, let us see if your chance of 
drawing the fourth Ace is changed in the least. As they have had 35 
of the 47 cards which contain the Ace, it is 36:47 that some one of 
them has received it. It is, on the other hand, 12:47 that none of them 
has received it, and that it remains in the pack, from which you are to 
draw two cards. As there are but twelve left, your chance of drawing 
it is therefore 2:12. Hence 2:12X12:47 (the chance that the other 
players have not drawn it,) =24:564=1:23^, as originally calculated. 
It may then be set down as an axiom that the number of players is a 
central element which determines nothing, and that the reasoning must 
ue based on the five cards which you receive and know and the 47 which 
are unknown. 

The rules for the government of the game, which conclude the volume, 
have been carefully revised and adapted to meet modern requirements. 
Many of those now in force are simply preposterous, and are evidently 
the threadbare ones whicli formerly applied to "Straight-Poker," noA\ 
obsolete. Of course the enforcement of rules depends upon the players 
themselves ; and as Poker parties are not slow to eliminate any discor- 
dant element that may appear in their midst, it is to be presumed that 
a conscientious interpretation will be placed upon the construction of the 
Rules and Laws herewith submitted. This conceded, and the stake at 
issue confined to moderate limits, Draw-Poker will hold its prominence 
as a game while cards exist. 



DRAW-POKEE. 



Chapter 1. 

The game of Draw-Poker is, perhaps, tlie 
most fascinating one played with. Cards. The 
innumerable combinations that present them- 
selves^ the rapid changes, and that never fail- 
ing spring, w^hich Hope ever supplies so boun- 
tifully with the nectar of the future, — all tend 
to make it pre-eminently the game of games. 

Apart fi'om the cards which the players 
may hold, whether good or bad is, at times, of 
no consequence, a thorough exhibition of each 
individual character is revealed at every step 
of the game, and even the most casual observer 
cannot help perceiving that the commodity 
known as selfishness predominates to an unlim- 
ited deo:ree, notwithstanding; the various con- 
trivances the players adopt to conceal its pre- 
sence. Possibly this selfish element may be one 



10 BBAW-POKER. 

of its chkrms. It is certainly an evidence that 
each playei' is so warmly interested in the results 
of tlie game, that the chances of his falling 
asleep, during its progress, are so remote that 
they are not worth considering. Indeed it mil 
be found not only a selfish game, but one that 
every subterfuge that can be brought to beai* 
is introduced ; every artifice that the laws of 
the game will permit, is pressed into sendee ; 
and all directed at one object, viz : — to win your 
money. To the majority of ]3layers it requires 
no ghost to tell them all this ; they will, however, 
one and all, vouch for its truth. Yet there are 
a large and growing number of young men, 
novices at the game, who imagine that they can 
play it for amusement, like whist and euchre, 
and confine their losses to a trifling amount. 
Such is not the case. Draw-Poker is strictly a 
gambling game, and one which, if they will take 
the author's advice, they will shun as they 
would a faro-table or a horse-race. 

If they have never indulged in the game, 
they are earnestly exhorted at this point to seek 
no further information, but to remain happy in 
their innocence, with the assurance that their 
position in society mil not be imperilled in 



BRAW-POKEE. 11 

the least by their ignorance of this accomplish- 
ment. 

It is unnecessary to say that the game should 
never be permitted to enter the family circle^ 
no matter how trifling the stake proposed may 
be. 

To those, however, who have played the game 
and intend to play it, the author has endeavored 
to point out all that experience on one hand, 
and mathematical analysis on the other, can do 
to protect them from the wary adversary, whose 
insatiable appetite for gain is only stimulated 
by each success. 

The first great requisite in sitting down to 
play the game is, that during its progress you 
permit nothing to escape your observation. If 
you are in doubt, at any period of the play, as 
to the number of cards any particular player 
took, you may be certain that you have been 
indifferent to this rule, and must under no cir- 
cumstances allow yourself to be placed at a dis- 
advantage a second time. You must not only 
remember the number of cards each player 
draws, but endeavor to study his style of draw- 
ing, which, Avith a little attention to the hands 



12 DRAW-POKER. 

that are sliown, you can readily acqiiii'e. You 
A\ ill find, for instance, in the course of the game, 
a player frequently drawing two cards, and not 
having improved his hand, throwing it up. You 
must assume that he drew to a "bob-tail" 
flush. Another will draw one card, and when 
the hand is showm, will be found to have " three- 
of-a-kind.'' But it is useless at this Juncture to 
say more, as we shall have all such illustrations 
presented in their due order and proper place, 
and will only repeat, to impress upon the reader, 
the importance of the assertion, that the first 
great requisite, in playing the game of Draw- 
Poker is to permit nothing to escape your ob- 
servation. 

The next point of importance to be consid- 
ered is the kind of players that compose your 
party. The respective temperament of each 
player is admirably brought out in the progress 
of the game, so that you can classify it mth as 
much certainty as an experienced botanist can 
determine the character and quality of a plant 
that is presented for his inspection. Poker 
parties, as a rule, consist of three elements : the 
close player, the consen^ative player, and the 
reckless player. In a party of six, you will 



DRAW-POKER. 13 

be likely to find two of the first, fliree of tlie 
second, and one of the third. 

The close player is one who rarely '' bluifs." 
He is content to wait patiently until he gets a 
good hand, and then bets with almost a certain- 
ty of winning. No matter how good his hand 
may be, he will not yentiire beyond a certain 
point, thereby escaping large losses, should an 
extraordinary hand be opposed to him. At 
the end of the game he is usually a small mn- 
ner. His style of play, howeyer, is not to 
be commended, as it is tedious and uninteres- 
'ting, and can afford iDut little pleasure. 

The conseryatiye player is one who adapts 
himself to circumstances ; he plays a close or 
a conseryatiye, or eyen a reckless game if he 
feels that the conditions warrant it. He knows 
the value of his own hand, and anticipates that 
of his opponent. He is familiar with every 
moyement that has been made during the 
deal, — knows the nmnber of cards each one has 
draA\m — whether there was any nervousness or 
hesitancy exhibited — how any certain player 
is betting, and if it is unusual — if he is a close 
player or a reckless one — if he has been in good 
luck or otherwise ; these points, and others that 



14 DEAW-POKER. 

may have presented themselves to him, are 
quickly summed up, and he governs himself 
accordingly. If he still feels confidence in his 
hand, and he perceives an indication of waver- 
ing in his antagonist, he presses him without 
mercy ; but if, on the contrary, he finds himseK 
in error he " drops" instantly. /The distinguish- 
ing trait of a good Poker player is, that he can 
check himself at once. A poor one is stubborn, 
and permits his pride to carry him on, even at 
times when he feels morally certain that he is 
throAving his money away. I 

The reckless player is one who is infatuated 
mth the game, and never permits an opportu- 
nity of blufiing to go by without indulging in 
it. Give him a good pair, or " four-flush," and 
he mil raise the ^^ blind" to the limit. Should he 
improve his hand in the draw, he mil bet it far 
above its value. At times he will appear to 
have eveiy thing his own way ; but in the long 
run he is always a loser. His only chance of 
success is with players reckless like himself ; 
all others are obnoxious to him. 

Draw-Poker, like eveiy other game of 
chance, is based, more or less, upon mathema- 



DRAW-POKER. 15 

tical deduction, in which the theory of proba- 
bilities Inlays an important part. 

We find, by every day observation, that 
whenever an event of one kind happens per- 
manently more often than one of another kind, 
there exists some reason for such fi-equency of 
occurrence, which, had it been inquired into 
before any event happened, would have ena- 
bled us to predict the frequency in question. 
So much is this the case, that if we were to 
take an observer to an urn in which were 
black and white balls, but how many of each 
he is not told, and were to make 1000 draw- 
ings^ replacing the ball drawn after each draw- 
ing, and shaking the urn before eveiy trial ; if 
of the 1000 dra^^dngs 822 were white and 178 
black, he would be iiTesistibly led to conclude 
that there must be more white balls than 
black ones in the urn. More than this, a per- 
son used to observation would conclude, not 
only that there are more white balls in the 
urn, but that the proportion of white and 
black balls does not differ veiy greatly from 
that of 822 to 178. Suppose a box to con- 
tain 3 white, and 4 black balls ; it is easily ad- 
mitted that it is more likely that a black ball 



16 DRAW-POKER. 

should be drawn than a white one, on the sup- 
position that the draAver does not see the balls. 
Or rather we should say it is easily admitted 
that every well regulated mind oiiglit to think 
a black ball more likely than a white one : and 
that if any should imagine the contrary, he 
has formed an opinion from prejudice, fancy, 
or want of proper consideration. 

Those who cultivated games of chance must 
at all times have had a general notion of com- 
binations which were more probable than others, 
and must haA e seen that those cases of which 
there were most to happen, always did in re- 
ality happen most often. They could not fail 
to know, by reckoning on theii* lingers, that 
out of, for instance, all the throws of a pair of 
dice, there are only six doublets, and thirty other 
equally possible cases ; nor could they have mis- 
sed knowing that this must be the reason wh}^ 
doublets occur seldom in comparison \A\\\ 
other throAvs. Notwithstanding the simple na- 
tui'e of such problems, it is admitted, that 
there are no questions in the whole range of 
applied mathematics whicli require such close 
attention, and in which it is so difficult to es- 
cape error, as those w^hich occur in the theory 



BRAW-POKEIl. 17 

of probabilities. And of all subjects, there is 
no one in wliich writers of every grade have 
so frequently or so strangely made mistakes of 
mere inadvertence. Cardan's numerical rea- 
soning on certain throws of dice is totally 
false. Poisson, and even the great Laplace, 
have been called to account for errors committed. 

To Laplace, however, w^e are indebted for 
his great work, which gives at one view the 
whole state of the science and its applications, 
particularly to Life Annuities and Life Insur- 
ance, etc. 

These formulas are applicable to all games 
of chance, in which the conditions are clearly 
defined ; Draw-Poker, from the fact that the 
bluffing element is fictitious, and the winning 
hand variable, presents insuperable difficulties 
in a mathematical point of ^dew ; yet the cal- 
culations heremth introduced, mil be found 
to cover every point of interest in the game, 
and are not only coiTect in their general re- 
sults, but entirely original in their application. 

It will be proper, pernaps, at this point, to 
dwell a moment in considering the part that 
^^ ImoTS'^ plays in the question of probabilities. 



18 BEAW-POKER. 

Matliematically speaking, there is no sucIl 
thing as luck ; and if it Avere possible to ex- 
punge the word and its several definitions 
from all the vocabularies in existence, man- 
kind would be a decided gainer by the act. 
It is the universal ignis fatitus that has lured 
millions into the quagmires of destruction. 
Ever put forward by the idle and incompetent 
to excuse and palliate their short-comings ; and 
it has never been known to aid its votaries at 
the critical moment of their existence. To 
the beggar, and to the King, it has proved 
equally false and illusive ; and while it smiles 
approvingly on ^ intelligence', ' perseverance' 
and ^ frugality,' it is prepared to trip them up 
at the earliest opportunity. It is incredible 
how completely the masses are held in sub- 
jection by its lurid glare, and that even the 
most improbable event is considered mthin 
grasp, Avhen looked at through its medium. 
Every fruitless attempt to clutch the prize^ 
only stimulates still greater exertions, equally 
fruitless. 

The multifarious schemes of '^ lotteries," 
" gift concerns," ^^ faro," and '' banque" games 
generally^ owe their existence^ and live upon 



DEAW-POKER. 19 

the credulity and stupidity of its followers. 
The per-centage in favor of these games 
A\4nning, is enormous. Twenty fiye per-cent. 
is considered moderate by the harpies who 
o\ATi them, Avhich is simply robbery. On the 
Continent, where gaming up to a recent period 
was legalized, 7i per cent, was the most allowed 
the '' Banque/' and with this, the profits were 
some seasons fabulous. 

To make this question of per-centage clear 
to the reader, and prove to him that where- 
eyer it exists it must invariably win, I will re- 
fer to the experiments of Lacroix. This mathe- 
matician was noted for putting his theories, so 
far as possible, to practical tests. He tossed 
up a coin 4000 times, and found it came 
'^head'' 1982, and '^ tail" 2018 times. He im- 
mediately suspected that there was some dif- 
ference of weight in favor of the " tail," which 
proved on inspection to be the fact. He next 
had two ivoiy balls made, about the size of 
marbles, A\^th a black speck in one, to distin- 
guish it from the other. They were precisely 
of a size and weight, and were revolved in a 
box made for the pui^pose, before each draw- 
ing. 100,000 drawings were made, with the 



20 DRAW-POKEJl. 

following results ; black was drawn 50,002, 
and white 49,998 times, thus proving theory 
and practice, within an infinitesimal fraction 
identical. 

Now suppose for every black ball that was 
drawn the " Banque" paid one dollar ; for every 
white one that was drawn the ^'Banque'' received 
one dollar and one cent, which, as per-centage, is 
extremely small : yet it would be so apparent 
to the comprehension of every body, that no 
one would consider himself fool enough to en- 
gage in it as a player. 

The ^^Banque" understands this perfectly, 
and at once makes a '^ combination" far more 
palatable to the player, and more profitable to 
itself. Its manager shakes two dice in a leather 
cup, — ^' Now gentlemen, name your ^doublet' 
one dollar gains you thirty, if you guess the 
right one." Here the chances are thirty-six to 
one that the particular doublet named will not 
come up : — this is twenty per cent, in favor of 
the " Banque ;" illustrated by the ivory balls, 
before mentioned, would read, for a black ball 
dra^vn, " Banque" pays 80 cents ; for a white 
ball drawn, ^^ Banque" receives $1. This is 
precisely what per-centage means. A combi- 



BEAW-POKEE. 21 

nation of tliree dice liowever is the usual game 
played at the present day, and a dollar bet on, 
for instance, three '' sixes," should they turn up, 
gains $180. This looks very large, and the 
players imagination conjures up pictures of 
endless wealth. Yet a mathematical analysis 
shows that the chances are 216 to 1 against the 
three " sixes" (or any other three) being thrown. 
The per-centage, as before, is nearly 20 per 
cent, against the player. Let us illustrate this 
so that a person who cannot appreciate 20 per 
cent, may understand it. 

Suppose two persons agree to throw dice, 
say for a dollar a side each throw ; the one who 
represents the '' Banque" has three dice to play 
with of the usual character; the other, who 
may be termed the ^'outsider" has three dice to 
play with, each one of vhieh has a hlanh side — 
the 1 is absent, which counts nothing, when it 
happens to turn up. Each player is to throw his 
respective dice, and the one having the most 
points turned up wins the stakes. A few throws 
win satisfy the "• outsider" that he is bound to 
lose^— indeed the first throw will be sufficient, 
if the blank side of even one die turn uj). 
His reason at once supplants his imagination. 



22 BRAW-POKER. 



1 

he! 



and he sees that the contest is hopeless. The 
per-centage in this illustration is precisely the 
same as where the ^^Banque" pays 180 for 1, and 
the playerSj in either case, will lose in the long 
run equal amounts. 



DEAW-POKER, 28 



Chapteb II. 

We have thus glanced at a few of the ap- 
plications of the theoiy of probabilities to 
matters, not strictly, perhaps, called for in this 
volume ; but the reader will unquestionably 
derive a benefit from their perusal, as eveiy il- 
lustration that bears upon the doctrine of 
chances, only serves to make clearer to him 
the important but complicated subject we 
have undertaken. 

We have assumed in starting, that he is no 
stranger to the game we are about to investi- 
gate ; that he knows that it is played with a 
full pack of cards; that he know^s a ^^pair,'' 
"two pairs,'- " three-of-a-kind," a "sequence,'' 
a "flush," a "full-hand," " four of-a-kind,'' and 
a " straight-flush,'' are names given to certain 
hands which determine, on a call, to whom the 
stakes shall go ; that he knows that the play- 
er sitting immediately to the left of the dealer 
starts the game by anteins; a chip, and that the 



24 DRAW-POKER. 

otlier players are entitled to '^ come in" by put- 
ting two chips in the pool ; the first player 
then puts in an additional chip, so all interest- 
ed in the hand have deposited in the pool equal 
sums. He is also aware, that the dealer, in 
dealing the cards, begins with the player at 
his left hand, who holds the '' age," and give^ 
one at a time alternately, until each player has 
received five cards. This, which by the way, 
the reader may not know, is termed the 
" original handy 

Each player has the right to discard any or 
all of the original hand, and to receive from 
the dealer cards equal in number to those so 
discarded. The hand so amended is termed 
the ^^ ])layinci liandP Where a player stands 
^^ pat," his original hand becomes his playing 
hand. ^' Straddling," and raising the ^^blind/' 
AN'ill be referred to in the proper place. 

To simpli£y, as far as possible, the calcula- 
tions upon which the game is based, six play- 
ers are supposed to constitute the party, four 
of whom remain in, two throwing up their 
cards. This Avill be found a fair average. 

The original hand is now dealt, and foui* 
of the six players remain in. The mathemati- 



DEAW-POKER. 25 

cal calculation Arhicli proves that the average 
value of the four hands in question consists of 
a pairofS''s, would occupy too much spac<". 
and is therefore omitted. A player holding ij i 
his original hand a pair of 8's, or better, ha,s 
a mathematical expectation in the game equal 
to the stake he has invested in the pool. C)f 
course the reader ^^A\\ understand that we iise 
the term average in its strict sense ; the four 
hands here referred to, might each be superior 
to a pair of 8's in this particular deal ; but in 
a long series of deals it will be found as we 
have stated. The reader can deduce from this 
fact, that, in playing a close game to win, it is 
necessary to have at least a pair of 8's to start ^N\i\^ . 
One of the weak points Avith young players is 
their anxiety to be in every time, and of course 
stand on any pair, frequently on odd cards ; 
but in the long run it is found to be a losing 
game. The rapidity A^th which, they dispose 
of their chips is the best evidence of its trutji. 
A\'here amusement, however, is considered more 
than chips, the rule should be relaxed, and the 
player will occasionally draAA' to a pair of Deuces 
a hand that sAveeps the board . But to return to 
our starting point. The f ou r original hands now 



26' DRAW-POKER. 

discard, and take in return from the dealer, 
the number of cards they require. The ma- 
thematical calculation shows that the improve- 
ment culminates in two pairs^ — Jaehs and Six- 
es. In other words, the four playing hands 
turned up and exposed, without bluffing, Jacks 
and Sixes will be, once in four deals, the mn- 
ning hand. In this, Eke all average calcula^ 
tion, none of the four hands may have im- 
proved — and again, each of the four may have 
improved superior to Jacks and Sixes ; but in 
the long run, the result above mentioned will 
be found strictly accurate. 

The advantage the reader derives from this 
knowledge is not, at a glance, very apparent ; 
but it is sufficient to point out to him the stand- 
ard by which he can measure the value of his 
hand — if it is inferior to the average, or supe- 
rior to the average, and can govern himself 
accordingly. It also brings up another very 
important matter, and certainly one which will 
repay a careful perusal. 

Notwithstanding that two pairs — Jacks and 
Sixes — constitute a full average playing hand, 
it is almost worthless as an original or pat hand. 
This sounds paradoxical, but we will endeavor 



to substantiate it. Two pairs pat, it is no exag- 
geration to state, has cost tlie amateur more 
money, and deceived liim more frequently than 
any other combination in the pack. Let us il- 
histrate this : the four players who remain in 
the game, have, for instance, the following origi- 
nal hands : Jacks a^d Sixes ; Four-flush ; a 
Straight, open at both ends; and a pair of 
Queens. The player holding Jacks and Sixes 
has, it is unnecessary to say, at this point the 
advantage ; but the draw at once reduces it to 
zero. This will be evident when we consider 
that to improve his hand at all, he must draw 
a Jack or a Six, of which there are, in the 47 
cards unkno^vn to him, but f oui' ; consequently 
his chance is one in 11|, or nearly 12 to 1 that 
his hand vrill not be improved, and as there is 
no other way by which it can be improved, this 
chance is absolute. The Four-flush has nine 
cards to draw from out of the 47 unknown, his 
chance of filling is 1 in 5|, or a little more than 
5 to 1 against him ; the Straight, or Sequence, 
open at both ends, has eight cards to draw fi^oni, 
in the 47 unknown, making his chance of fill- 
ing 1 in 5i, or a little less than 6 to 1 against 
him; the pair of Queens draws three cards and, 



28 DTtAW-POKER. 

as tliere are two Queens in tlie 47 unknoMTi 
cards', liis chance of taking in another Queen, 
is about one cliance in 8^ or, of course, 8 to 1 
against Mm ; — but the Queens may be improved 
hj other cards, and the chances are only 4 to 1 
that such ^Yill not be the case. Hence it will 
be noticed, that the combined chances of the 
three hafids make the fourth one, holding Jacks 
and Sixes^ nearly or quite Avorthless. 

Inexperienced players are invariably dazzled 
on finding two pairs in theii' original hand ; it 
looks so large that they raise the ante to the 
limitj which is responded to by several players. 
Mr. Two-pairs draws a card without any im- 
provement to his original hand, but nevertheless 
feels duty bound to make a demonstration, and 
bets the limit^ which the owner of three Fives 
accepts^ and goes as much better ; the counten- 
ance of the former shows defeat in every line^ 
but his pride urges him to call, which he does, 
and therefore loses on every side. Once in 
twelve times he is entitled to fill — and when 
he does, and is anxiously suppressing the tor- 
rent of vengeance Avhich is oozing out of his 
finger ends, he finds to his intense disgust, that 
he has no opponent, ^^ every body out." An 



DRAW-POKER. 2?^ 

erperienced player by no means despises twoV 
pairs; being his age, with Aces or Kings at 
the headj he will raise a moderate amount, and 
if not raised back, mil draw one card and bet 
pretty well up to the limit. If, however, he is 
raised bach, he will consider: if by a close 
player he will throw his hand np ; if by a con- 
servative player, he will stand the raise, and 
drav/ one card ; if by a reckless player, he mil 
stand the raise, play his hand pat, taking the 
chances that the reckless player is bluffing. 
The best players, as before remarked, while 
they do not despise two jDaii^s, put veiy little 
trust in theii* efficacv, and alwavs treat them 
as doubtful property. 



30/ DRAW-POKER. 



Chapter III. 

We have now arrived at a point where it 
will be 2^roper perhaps to explain wliat we un- 
derstand by " poor original liands." We have 
bef(^re i^eniarked substantially, that the funda- 
mental error of all amateurs is their anxiety to 
be ^' in'' every Iiand^ notwithstanding the cards 
to which they are to draw are nearly worthless. 
It is hardly necessary to say that occasions will 
at once be recalled by every Poker player^ 
where very large hands were drawn to very 
poor cards. While admitting this, we are free 
to say, that more money is chipped away in 
drawing to frivolous cards than in any othei* 
way. We have here tabulated a series of orig- 
inal hands (from which the discards have been 
made) showing how much the drato A\dll add 
to their value. This calculation is of course 
based upon an average adjustment of all the 
possible combinations that can be drawn. 



DRAW-POKEE, 31 

STANDING ON. CARDS DRAWN. AVERAGE YALUE. 

An Ace, 4 pair of 8's. 

Ace and King, 3 , pair of 8's. 

Ace, King and Queen, 2 pair of 5's.- 

Ace, KingjQneen, Jack, 1 pair of 2's. 

Four-flusli, 1 pair of Jacks. 

Tkree-flusli,... 2 0. 

Fonr-straiglit, open, . . 1 . pair of 9's. 

Fonr-straiglit, closed,, 1 pair of 2's. 

Pair of Dences, 3 pair of Jacks. 

'' Treys, 3. . . . . .pair of Queens. 

'^ Fours, 3 pair of Kings. 

Fives, 8 . . pair of Aces. 

^^ Sixes, ...,,... 3 . .two pairs, 7's and 2's. 

'' Sevens, 3 " 9's and 5's. 

'' Eights, ...... 3 '' Jacks and 6's. 

'^ Nines, , 3 '^ Queens and lO's. 

'[ Tens, 3 '' Kings and 2's. 

Jacks, 3 ''- Kings & Queens. 

'^ Queens, 3 ^' Aces and 3's. 

Kings, 3 '^ Aces & Queens. 

'' Aces, 3 Three 2's. 

In drawing to small pairs under 5's, it will 
be well to keep witli the pair an Ace, should 
you have one, and dravr two cards. There is 



82 DEA"W.POKER. 

a trifle advantage in this, besides it helps to 
conceal your hand. 

Instead of standing on an Ace, as many do, 
and drawing four cards, it is better to throw up 
your entire original hand and draw five cards. 
It is found by experience that the cards can 
rarely be shuffled so as to separate entirely pre- 
vious hands, and taking five cards in a lump 
will sometimes produce an admirable hand. 

Starting with Three-of-a-kind in your original 
hand, you have a decided average advantage 
in yom- favor. If it is your age, and therefore 
last say, you should raise the pool an amount 
that you think the majority of those in mil 
stand. You must not over-do this, else you 
may frighten them out. Should you be sitting 
to the left of the age, and of course your first 
ante, it will be well to omit the raise, takino- the 
chances of other players doing it, and giving 
you the opportunity of going over them. In 
discarding, with such a hand, it is sometimes 
good policy to keep up an odd card with youi' 
triplets, to disguise them, and draw one card. If 
it is evident, however, from the raising that large 
hands are out, draw two cards. In the first in- 



DBAW-POKER. 33 

Stance, having triplets ^Yith an odd card and 
drawing? one card, your chances are as follows : 
it is 47 to 1 against your making fonr-of-a-Mnd ; 
and it is 16 to 1 against yonr making a fnll- 
kandj making your mathematical expectation, 
say X2- I^^ '^^^ second case, yon draw two cards 
and yonr chances are as follows : it is 23 i to 
1 aofainst yonr makino;four-of-a-kind ; and it is 12 
to 1 against yonr making a full-hand, your math- 
ematical expectation is therefore s. Hence the 
advantage lies with the two card draw. Triplets, 
Nines and upward, make a strong hand, and 
must never be abandoned without due consid- 
eration. Do not give too much weight to the 
fact that one of your opponents drew one card, 
and another two cards ; yours is a hand above 
the average of " threes," and should be played 
accordingly. Even with three Deuces in your 
hand, you must reflect before thromng it up. 

A Straight, or Sequence is, as the reader 
is aware, five cards of any suits following con- 
secutively, as Ten, Jack, Queen, King and Ace ; 
the Ace may be reckoned as 1 or as Ace ; 
when as 1, the Straight is one of the smallest ; 
when as x\ce, one of the largest ; it cannot be 
reckoned both ways in the same hand. In 



34 DBAW-POKER. 

inodeni Poker^ tlie Straight is superior to Three- 
of-a-kind ; it is matliematically inferior kowever, 
but from tke fact tkat it gives more scope for 
bluffing, it is permitted to retain tkis position. 
Hence wken an opponent stands kis kand pat, 
and you kave not improved your triplets, it be- 
comes a nice question for you to determine 
wketker lie is bluffing or not. You mil of 
course be guided to a certain extent by kis an- 
tecedents, and if ke is in tke kabit of standing 
pat on two pairs, or witkout anytking in kis 
kand. Skould you kave a straigkt j)at, endeavor 
to get all you can by raising wken it is your 
turn to ante, as you draw no cards, yom' kand 
is at once disclosed. A Straigkt is a very strong 
kand, and must not be tkrown up witkout a 
struggle. Having a four- straigkt tke ckance of 
making it, as before mentioned, is about 1 in 6. 
If but one end only is open, or you require an 
intermediate card to make it, your ckance is 
about 1 in 12, precisely tke same ckance tkat 
you kave in making two pairs a full-kand by 
dramng one card. It is not judicious, under 
ordinaiy circumstances, to split a pair of. Nines 
or upward, to draw for a Straigkt. Yet, if ap- 
pearances point at large original kands, and be 



BRAW-POKEE. 35 

fore your turn to draw some one stands pat, it 
will be well, not only to split a pair of Nines, 
but even a paii' of Queens. 

Tlie ordinary ^^Flusfis an interesting hand, 
not only from tlie fact that it is really a very 
strong one, but that it presents at least | of 
itself at the immediate opening of the game, as 
if it took a personal interest in the proceedings. 
In this form it is known as four-flush, and is 
constantly appearing during the game, first in 
one hand, then in another, but always coquet- 
tish in its actions, and requiring a good deal of 
coaxing to put in an appearance in full costume. 
Its stubbornness is proverbial ; notwithstanding, 
it performs, in the long run, all that can rea- 
sonably be expected of it. Some players imagine 
that they ought to fill a f oui'-flush nearly every 
time, which is of course absurd : the chance of 
filling, as before referred to, is 1 in 5|, and you 
are entitled to fill tmce in eleven times. Oc- 
casionally, in a fit of desperation, a player 
draws on what is known as a ^' monkey," or 
'"^ bob-tail" flush, which is three cards of a suit, 
in expectation that the two cards which 
he draws Mall be of the same suit^ making 
a flush. It is sometimes accomplished, but 



36 DEAW-POKER. 

it is an expensive luxury as the cliances mil 
sliow: 4jox5i==24:| to 1 against making it. 
There are some players who always raise the 
blind on having a four-flush; it is^ however, 
playing against a strong per-centage, and should 
not be indulged in more than a few times dur- 
ing the game, and then if the hand does not 
fill, it must be bluffed through, if possible. A 
pat Flush should be played precisely, as pointed 
out in the case of the Straight, your chances of 
Avinning are however greatly enhanced. AYhen 
two players stand pat, the one holding a flush 
has nearly two chances to one of winning the 
pool, for the reason that for four pat flushes^ 
there are seven pat straights and but one pat full 
In splitting j^airs above Mnes, to clraw for a 
flush, you can risk more than in dramng for a 
straight, as the flush is easier to make and a 
stronger hand when made. With but one in 
besides yourself, unless the blind is raised, 
stand on Tens in preference to splitting them. 
But at any time, should you think it necessary, 
do not hesitate to split even a pair of Aces. 

A full hand is a combination that requires 
but few comments ; to have it is to say that 
the pool is, almost to a certainty, within }^our 



DRAW-POKEK. 37 

grasp. To get it -pat, is an occurrence 
that cannot be expected many times during 
the game ; if you get it t^\dce in that time 
you are doing well. It must be played cau- 
tiously, like all pat hands; you must start 
with a small raise which, should it be return- 
ed, you must repeat. Your opponent mil then 
possibly go the limit, and you can follow suit. 
But if you go the limit at the first start, you 
will keep some out who would otherA\dse ven- 
ture in on the small raise, and at the same time 
call attention to your hand. * If it is your first 
bet go the limit, as it may induce some to think 
you are only bluffing. Should you hold a full, 
made by standing on one pair, and you are 
fii^t to bet, go merely a chip ; if second, and 
the first goes a chip, go something over him, 
(no matter how many are behind you: they 
may all drop out, or but see the chip) and the 
first player has then a chance of going you bet- 
ter, which is what you desire ; bet quietly at 
the start, and allow yourself to be dra\vn gent- * 
ly along, as it were. 

We have now glanced at the combinations 
that usually constitute the ordinary hands at 
Poker ; the few that remain to be considered 



38 DRAW-POKER, 

may be classed as exceptional^ as their appear- 
ance cannot reasonably be expected, save at 
long and unequal intervals. Four-of-a-kind is 
a liand of this description. A gentleman who 
kept a record for six months at a private club, 
whej^e the game was played every evening, 
stated that four-of-a-Mnd pat occurred, on an 
average, once in two weeks ; that a hand hold- 
ing '' fours" was dealt once every three hours. 
The chances are as follows : the first card dealt 
you is, say for instance, an Ace, it is 5202 to 1 that 
in the next four cards, you do not get three 
more Aces. It is therefore 5202 to 1 that your 
original hand will not have fours pat in any 
particular deal ; 867 to 1 that none of the six 
players will hold fours pat in any particular 
deal. With two Aces in the original hand, 
discarding three cards and getting from the 
dealer three others, the chance of having two 
more Aces in said three cards is 1 in 364. 
With three Aces in the original hand, and two 
cards are drawn, the chance of getting the 
fourth Ace is 1 in 23^. Of course the same 
chances apply as well to all other cai'ds as 
to Aces. Four-of-a-kind pat should be played 
like all pat hands, — moderately at the start; 



DRAW-POKER. 39 

if YOU raise tlie blind and it is merely seen, 
draw one card, as if you had two pairs ; if 
there is considerable raising and it is e^ddent 
that there are good hands out, play your hand 
pat, and you mil get credit for holding a 
straight, a flush, or a full. Should you stand 
on a pair, or three-of-a-kind, and make fours, 
your object mil be to conceal as far as possi- 
ble the strength of your hand, as the ultimate 
result is almost certain. It wdll be perceived 
here, from the calculations made that it is no 
easy matter to draw four-of-a-kind, and the 
reader should bear this in mind should he at 
anytime hold an ace-full. 

The Straight, or Sequence Flush, is the final 
combination in the game, and to which all other 
hands must bow. Unlike four Aces, which, in 
ancient Poker, w^as the highest hand and certain 
to win, this offers no such advantage, at least 
in a mathematical point of ^dew, as the four 
highest may be out in the same deal, and in 
that case the pool is di^dded equally among the 
holders. Although there is no absolute cer- 
tainty, then, of winning any pool in the game of 
Draw^-Poker, the holder of even the smallest 
sti'aight-flush may consider his moral claim in 



40 BBAW-POKEE. 

the premises pretty siire, as the chances will 
show : assuming that your first card is an Ace, 
it is 249,900 to 1, that yon will not, in your next 
four cards draw King, Queen, Jack and Ten 
of the suit; again, standing on an Ace, it is 
124,950 to 1 that you ^Yill not make either the 
highest or lowest straight-flush, in the next f om^ 
cards you draw. The most favorable way by 
which this flush can be made is to start on a 
centre card, say a Seven spot, as you have either 
side with you; even in this case it is 15,619 to 
1 that you will not make it. Suppose you start 
with a 7 and 8, it is then 2450 to 1 that you 
will not succeed. Very few players attempt 
to make a straight-flush without having in their 
original hand at least a sequence of three cards, 
say for instance, 7, 8 and 9 of a suit, and the 
chance of making it is 1 in 275. With a se> 
quence of four cards of a suit in your original 
hand, your chance of making a straight-flush is 
not unreasonable, being but 23i to 1 against 
you. In this combination, there is the chance 
to make the ordinary flush, and also to make 
an ordinary straight, hence its appearance in 
the hand of a player is hailed mth pleasure ; 
its failure to benefit him, however, is expres- 
sed in no very flatteiing terms. 



BBAW-POKEB. 4x 



Chaptee IV. 

The game of Draw-Poker has been verj^ 
mucli improved during tlie past twenty years, 
and at tlie present time is unquestionably at tbe 
head of all games played mtli cards. Its lin- 
eage may be traced back^ without difficulty, 
to its progenitor, the good old game of ^^Brag/' 
in which, in former years, many of our great 
statesmen indulged their propensity "to go 
better," even if it involved the loss of a small 
plantation. At the present day the amount at 
stake at any one time is usually limited to a 
moderate sum : this is an important feature, as 
it is a very easy matter, even among friends, to 
provoke a contest over a game of cards that 
might result disastrously. But mth the amount 
that can be bet at one time limited, either 
contestant can bring the issue to a conclusion 
at once, mthout much pecuniary sacrifice. 
Among gentlemen who play the game for 
amusement the limit is fixed at $2.50 to $5 ^ 



DRAW-POKEE. 



in some few cases it will be placed at $10. It 
mil be found tliat $2.50 is limit large enougli 
to bring out all the pleasure the game is sus- 
ceptible of, and not unfrequently, even at this 
small amount J $100 "will change hands during 
an evening. If the reader prefers a large or un- 
limited game, it is to be presumed that he 
requires no advice at our hands. 

We mil now assume that a party is f onned, 
and that six persons sit around a convenient 
table all anxious to begin "business." Two 
packs of cards are procured, ha\dng backs of 
different or opposite colors, which are to be 
dealt alternately ; a box of ivory " chips'' or 
counters of three sizes : $2.50, $1, quarter doL 
lar; a package of small blank cards, or any 
stiff white paper cut up will answer, and a lead 
pencil or two. The blank cards are for the use 
of those Vv^ho may run out of chips and wish to 
give their neighbor a "coup," representing for the 
moment a due bill. Each player takes twenty- 
five dollars worth of chips, say 6, 8, 8, of the re- 
spective sizes, which he has to account for, 
together mth any due bills or coups he may 
have out, at the end of the game. The cards 
being new requii^e considerable shuffling ; which 



done, cards are dealt arouBd face up, and he wlio 
receives tlie first Jack has the first deal. The 
pack is shuffled hy the dealer and cut, and 
he proceeds to give each player five cards, one 
at a time alternately, commencing with his left 
hand adversary, and ending with himself. 

The player who receives the first card dealt, 
and of course sits immediately to the left of 
the dealer, . holds the '^ age." This position 
entitles him to "ante," or as it is better 
knowTL in modem Poker, to go blind any sum 
that does not exceed half the limit which has 
been agreed upon. Whatever sum he goes 
blind must be placed on the table before he 
sees any of his cards, and usually indeed be- 
fore any are dealt ]^o matter whether he 
mshes to be in or not, the amount of the blind 
has to remain as a basis for the pool to be 
played for. The players then in turn, who 
Vvdsh to be in, put into the pool double the a- 
mount of the ante, and the age makes his 
blind '^ good", so that all "will have contributed 
alike. A system of betting on the original 
hand, kno^vn as " raising the blind," is one of 
the most interesting features of modern Poker, 
unknown in the old game, and is often earned to 



44 DRAW-POKER. 

an extreme. Any player, wlien it is his turn 
to ante, lias tlie right to raise the blind to the 
limit ; the next can raise him the limit, and so 
on indefinitely, and before the discards are 
made and the final cards dealt, even mth $2i- 
limit, it is not unusual to see $50 on the table. 
Each player who mshes to raise must do so in 
turn, and all who are interested in the deal, 
must, as before mentioned, have equal sums in 
the pool. With a superior original hand it re- 
quires some tact to make the most of it. The 
age in this case is of great advantage, as the 
holder of it knows how many are in, and can 
calculate pretty accurately how much of a raise 
it is Judicious to make. Notwithstanding the 
age belongs to the player on the dealer's left, 
his neighbor sitting at his left, has the pri^a- 
lege to '' straddle" his blind, which then be- 
comes a double blind ; this gives the straddler 
the opportunity to be the last in, he must, how- 
ever, make the first bet. It is an error to sup- 
pose that there is any advantage in liaAang the 
blind, and it is a still greater error to straddle 
it ; a close player rarely straddles. 

In dealing the cards, care should be taken 
that they are neatly distributed, without show- 



DBAW-POKEE 45 

ing any of them. Each hand should be a dis- 
tinct pile in itself ^ and no player should touch 
his hand until all the cards are dealt. No bet- 
ter preliminary test of the relative merits of 
players can be presented than their respective 
methods of dealing, discarding, and examining 
hands. The good player when dealing rarely 
makes a misdeal, but distributes the cards neat- 
ly and in proper order. "When the hand is fin- 
ished, he gathers up the cards, shuffles them 
and places the pack near the player who has 
next to use them. When playing, he never 
touches his cards until they are all dealt ; he 
then takes up his hand and determines in an 
instant what it contains ; he is ready to discard 
the moment his turn comes, and ready to make 
his bet mthout any delay. If his hand is not 
good he announces that he is out, and at once 
places his cards, without exposing any of them, 
near the dealer, and without delaying the game 
in the least. The poor player, on the contraiy, 
deals the cards in a slovenly manner, giving rise 
to disputes and misdeals; when he examines 
his hand he appears to be in doubt what it 
contains, and has to be repeatedly asked what 
he intends to do ; if he has resolved to stay out 



4(> D^AW-POKER. 

lie still holds on to his cards, often confusing 
those who are m ; he never appears to know 
when it is his tnrn to deal or to ante ; always ap- 
]3ealing to those around him to mtness his bad 
luck ; — ^uproariously elated when he mns a 
pool, and uproariously depressed when he loses 
one ; he seldom knows the number of cards his 
antagonist drew ; owes small amounts to eveiy 
body at the table, and disputes about them af- 
terwards. It is unnecessary, perhaps, to tell the 
reader that if he labors under any one of the 
foregoing faults, he should abandon it at once. 
We will permit the party to proceed with the 
game, as we \^dsh, for the moment, to discuss a 
new subject. 



JACK-POTS. 



We have, as the reader is aware, substituted 
the term ^^JacM^ for that of '-' Knave/"' in speak- 
ing of that well known card. We have done 
so in no capricious spirit of innovation, but 



DEAW-POKER. 47 

simply because nine-tenths of those who play 
Poker designate the card in question by that 
name. So well established, indeed, has it be- 
come, that one of the most important modifi- 
cations of the game, known as the Jack-pot, is 
noAv recognized ; and it is determined by the 
player who holds in his hand a pair of those 
cards ; a few words therefore as to its orioin 
may not be out of place. 

In ever}^ poker party one or tAvo players aiT 
to be found who invariably play an exceeding- 
1}^ close game. Experience having taught them 
that unless they.held fair average original hands 
their chances of winning were limited. Hence 
these gentlemen never came in unless they held 
the requisite cards. This, of course, did not 
infringe any rule of the game ; still it was not 
calculated to make an harmonious party, espe- 
cially at times when a liberal player was obliged 
to throw up good hands for want of opponents. 
It was suggested that some method should be 
dcA^sed to compel every player to contribute 
at intervals to the pool, whether his hand war- 
j'anted it or not, and the Jack-pot was the re- 
sidt, and it has been found in many cases to 
equalize the players admirably. 



48 DRAW-POKER. 

There are two ways of playing it : one is tlie 
simple Jack-pot ; the other the graduated one. 
In the former a chip is put in the pool by each 
player nntil some one holds a pair of Jacks, or 
better, in his original hand, and announces that 
he will ^^ open" it ; the game then assumes its 
usual character. 

The graduated Jack-pot is more elaborate, 
land frequently contains a large amount of 
chips. Each player, as in the former case, puts 
a chip in the pool, and if no one holds a pair 
of Jacks, or better, in his original hand, the 
cards are dealt again, each putting in a chip as 
before; this time it requires a pair of Queens, or 
better ; if not opened, the next deal requires a 
pair of Kings, or better, and finally a pair of 
Aces, or better. It remains at Aces until it is 
opened, and, as before stated, as each one puts 
a chip in each deal, the pool is often very large 
and usually gives rise to a warm contest. When 
it is opened, that is to say, when a player an- 
nounces that he has the required cards in his 
hand, and fixes the amount at which it is to be 
opened, any, or all the other players at the ta- 
ble can come in, no matter what they may hold in 
their hands, and can even raise the party open- 



DKAW-POKEK. 49 

iug it if they wish. After the discards are 
made, the player who opened it must make the 
first bet and show, if he is not called, the cards 
mth which he opened the pot. 

Jack-pots afford unusual scope for finessing 
and bluffing, and are frequently made a feature 
of the game towards its close. A ^ao;orous 
style of play is essential, else you Avill see pot 
after pot go to the reckless player. With a 
strong hand, it mil be well to open it for an 
amount that will induce everybody to be in ; 
with a hand just sufficient to open it, make it 
the limit to come in and draw one, or two cards, 
and bet the limit : by these means you will 
keep some out, and intimidate those who re. 
main in. 

A great error is made by many persons in 
their method of playing Jack-pots. The rule 
they lay down is this : " any player having the 
required hand must open itP Now Poker is a 
game in which no one is obliged to play his 
hand unless he wishes to do so, and by adopt- 
ing the above rule you change entirely its spirit 
and policy. The object of this pot is to in- 
crease the pool, so that it will be of substan- 
tial value to the individual who may mn it ; 



50 DEAW-POKER. 

hence the conditions of opening it, or not, may 
be left untrammelled witli the players, self in- 
terest being quite sufficient in all such cases. 
Therefore the rule should be, any player holding 
the necessary hand, beginning with the one at the 
dealer's left, the dealer himself having the last 
say, may open the ^' pot ;" It is the dealer's 
business to ask each one in turn, '' mil \ou 
open it :" if the response is '^ no," he passes to 
the next ; if a player says ^^ no," and wishes to 
Avithdraw it, he should do so at once, and before 
the next one answers^ else he will be obliged to 
pass out. Any one opening it all can come in, 
after putting up the required amount. Many 
good players have adopted this method, Avith 
entire satisfaction. It A\dll be perceived that 
there is nothing obligatory whatever. If you 
have the necessary hand you can open, or not, 
as you think proper. But if you have the 
cards with which you can open it and fail to 
do so, taking the chances that some one else 
will do it, you cannot be permitted to avail 
yourself of the privilege when you see that all 
the players are about to pass out. Each one 
should therefore examine his hand carefull}', 
and say '' yes," or " no,'^ imderstandingly, and 
the rule should be strictly enforced. 



DKAW-POKEK. 51 

Jack-pots are usually introduced when a mis- 
deal occurs^ or when all the players pass out of 
a hand. Frequently the game tenninates ^^dth 
a series of such pots. 



53 DRAW-POKEB, 



Chaptek v. 

Onr party of six liave no\Y brouglit their game 
to a close^ and a commentary on what may be 
termed ^^ good play/' and its opposite, or "bad 
play/' mil convey to the reader all that can be 
properly set forth in an elementary work of 
this description. There is no royal road to 
sHccessful poker playing, unless we pave the 
way onrselves : coolness, patience, sagacity and 
tact being essential in its construction. 

The fundamental error of the " bad player,^' 
(who is the representative of bad playing gen- 
erally,) has been mentioned repeatedly ; he 
wants to be in every hand, and to do so, he 
stands on bob-tail flushes, intermediate straights, 
and odd cards. Once in, he will stand a raise 
on the cards Just mentioned. Now if one will 
reflect a moment on the absurdity of this course, 
he must see that it is almost impossible to mn 
under the circumstances. Thirty- three per-cent. 
of all the hands dealt are mathematically woHh- 



BEAW-POKER, 53 

less, hence it is easy to calculate the amount of 
money thus ihrovm away. A further illustra- 
tion may he found by inspecting the "widow," 
Tdiich receives a chip at a time,"and at the end 
of the game mil be found one of the chief win- 
ners. It may be set do^\m as a rule that losses 
at Poker, where the game is limited, result al- 
most entirely from standing on inadequate 
original hands. This being admitted, it A^dll be 
necessar}^ to call attention to an error which 
even good players make, riy. : bet their hands 
for more than their value. With these two 
points guarded, the rest of the game Avill j^lay 
itself. Of course it is not easy at all times to 
determine the value of what is usu all}-. termed 
a good hand. Take, for example, an unlooked- 
for-hand, Avhieli is one that is sometimes drawni 
to odd cards. A player, for instance, stands on 
an Ace and King, and draws in two more Aces. 
Now the point of this is that he A^-ill bet t^^^ce 
as much on it as if he had had it pat. He is sur- 
prised at receiving it and bets it far above its 
value before he can check himseif. In like 
manner, Avhen your opponent proposes to di\dde 
the pot ^vith you, which is a subterfuge on his 
part, you ^\-ill of course refuse, ha^dno- a o-ood 

^ 9 9 



54 BRAW-POKER. 

pair in your hand. ; lie will tlien bet you the 
limit, and you will be induced not only to call 
him, but frequently to raise him several times, 
his hand, on being shown, proving far superior 
to yours. 

It would be tedious, perhaps, to dwell upon 
the thousand-and-one peculiarities that are to 
be found from time to time in poker playing. 
Each player has a certain idiosyncrasy peculiar 
to himself, which no language can convey to a 
reader, and to be studied to advantage must 
be studied over the cards. With the principal 
points of the game clearly defined and under, 
stood, the ability to determine the delicate 
pencilling that marks its subtile organism will 
quickly follow. 

In concluding this part of our subject, we 
must call attention to the ^^ good player," and 
point out some of his characteiistic actions 
while engaged in playing the game. To start 
^vith, he vnll not play where the limit exceeds 
five dollars ; he never antes, when it is his blind, 
more than a chip ; he will never straddle the 
blind; he never stands on less than a pair 
of Sixes in his original hand, except it is his 
blind; he considers a "fom^-fiush" equal to 



BEAW-POKER. 55 

a pair of Tens, and a fonr-straiglit eqnal to a 
pair of Sevens, and plays them accordingly, as cir- 
cumstances may suggest ; lie is always doubtful 
of two pairs, and does not take mucli stock even 
in threes, unless pretty large. He plays a defen- 
sive game generally and considers the secret of 
winning to consist of husbanding your chips and 
betting even strong hands moderately. He does 
not like Jack-pots, but of course plays them. Not- 
withstanding the almost adamantine rules with 
which he governs his play, he appears to be in 
as often as anybody at the table ; bluffs occa- 
sionally but effectively, and never shows his 
hand except he is obliged to. T\Tien he bluffs, 
he selects a time when the player who has the 
last say is of the weak-kneed order. He prides 
himself upon the suavity mth which he can 
lay down a good hand, when he feels that he is 
overmatched, and also upon the many varia- 
tions he introduces in his style of play, to pre- 
vent its becoming at all familiar to his oppo- 
nents. Now if success is the criterion of good 
play, then his style is perfection, for he leaves off 
nineteen times out of twenty a Avinner, and 
when he does lose, the amount is insignificant. 
Poker limited to $2,50, or even $5, will be 



56 DRAW-POKER. 

pooli-poolied by many who consider it, when so 
restricted, beneath their notice. They want an 
unlimited game where, according to their story, 
pluck and science are brought into play. 

The truth is, there is no science whatever ne- 
cessary in the unlimited game ; it is purely a 
question of intimidation. The limited game, on 
the contrary, is highly scientific. Every bet 
made is liable to be called ; therefore a thorough 
knowledge of all the various combinations that 
go to make up Poker hands is absolutely essen- 
tial. To be a successful player, competent to 
defend yourself against all comers, you must 
be able to determine quickly and accurately, 
from the conditions presented, the results likely 
to be attained ; and while of course infallibility 
is not to be mentioned in connection with a 
game of chance, the law of per-centage invari- 
ably decides in favor of those who comply T^dth 
its statutes. j 

We have now examined all the points that 
have a bearing, remotely or otherwise, upon the 
game of Draw-Poker. In our discussion, we 
have not been unmindful of the old adage, 
^' Wise men often allow themselves to be taught 



DEAW-POKER. 5Y 

many things which they know." A proficient 
in the game ^yill see the application of the 
maxim. Eveiy poker player, however, is not 
a proficient. On the contrary, considering that 
it is played in all sections of the conntry, there 
is really less kno^yn about it than almost any 
other game. A knowledge of the several com- 
binations by which the valne of the hand is 
computed, is not sufficient to make an accom- 
plished player. It is the first step, however, 
and an important one. To be able to read the 
actions and expressions of your opponent, and 
at the same time mask your own, is a step in 
advance of the former, and equally important. 
"We mentioned in the earlier part of the 
volume the importance of studying each oppo- 
nent's style of play, and the manner in which 
he acts under the various circumstances that 
present themselves during the game. It mil 
be found that a large majority of the players, 
if carefully scrutinized, give certain indications, 
unconsciously on their part, no doubt, which, 
almost to a certainty, disclose the character of 
their hands. Then there mil be found those 
who always bet according to a scale, determined 
by the cards they hold, and who may be tenn- 



58 DRAW-POKER. 

ed stereotyped players ; and as they rarely ven- 
ture to bluff, tlie strength, of their hands, is 
quickly discovered. While you must avail 
yourself of every trifle that may in any way 
tend to your benefit, }'ou should be extremely 
cautious not to permit the faintest glimmer of 
your intentions (if the expression may be allow 
ed,) to reach your opponents. Some players, in- 
deed, are so constituted that they find an extreme 
difficulty in controlling themselves when they 
get a large hand ; and, as this is instantly no- 
ticed, they labor under a serious disadvantage 
as a consequence. It is impossible to be per- 
fect in the game, unless you have absolute 
command of youi'seK, under all circumstances. 
A very great advantage is gained by accustom- 
ing yourself to examine your original hand at 
a glance, as it were, the moment you raise it ; 
and never dw^ell upon it a second more than is 
necessary. AVhen you receive the draw, glance 
at it as you take it up, and direct your atten- 
tion elsewhere ; you mil find time enough to 
re-examine it. This rapidity on your part gives 
time to prepare yourself, and also to study your 
opponents. In your manner, always treat a 
hand that you intend to throw up when your 



DEAW-POKER. 59 

turn comes, precisely as you would one mth. 
whicli.you expect to win the pot. The expres- 
sion of your countenance must not exhibit too 
much anxiety ; but rather partake of what Mrl 
Swiveller had the happy faculty of putting on, 
when things ^A^th him were about to culminate, 
^' an extremely careful assumption of extreme 
carelessness." 

It may not be out of place at this point to 
say a word regarding the ethics of the game : 
indeed it is not certain but that a chapter could 
be A^aitten to advantage on the subject. We 
must, however, be brief. 

In playing the game of Poker, (or indeed any 
game,) always control your temper ; never per- 
mit it to gain the slightest ascendency over 
you. Win and lose with equanimity. Nothing 
can be more childish than the ebullition of 
boisterous gratification exhibited by a player 
who wins a large pot, except, indeed, it be his 
silly, melancholy whine, when he loses one. 
Poker, to say the least, is a manly game, and 
should be played in a manly way. One who 
cannot meet its losses without losing his temper 
should never play it. 

Do not owe anything around the table ; set- 



60 DEAW-POKER. 

tie at once, if you liave anytMng pending, the 
moment the hand is played, and exact like 
treatment from your opponents. Should it oc- 
cur, that at the close of the game you find 
yourself indebted to some one of the party a 
sum that, at the moment, you cannot liquidate; 
— ^then do so the next day, mthout fail. If 
you find this course does not agree with your 
purse, give up playing the game. 

Never induce anybody to play whose posi- 
tion, financially or othermse, is not calculated 
to sustain the expensive amusement that Poker 
sometimes proves itself to be. 

Before taking final leave of our readers, we 
feel Justified in calling their attention to a mat- 
ter which each one should consider personal to 
himself, and use his exertions to modify it, if 
it cannot be entirely removed. We refer to 
the protraction of the game, long after the houi- 
agreed upon at the start that it should close. 
This has become so intolerable, that every 
player who considers self respect an element in 
matters of recreation, should set his face against 
it. It is useless, of course, to lay down any 
rule in such cases ; the good sense of the players 
must be called out for common protection, and 



DRAW-POKER. 61 

then it is to be hoped, that this serious evil will 
disappear. Each player, then, should resolve 
to stop at the appointed time, no matter how 
blandly the ^^jiist once (m^oimcV is urged, and 
should feel it to be a personal duty to carry 
out his part of the contract. 



62 DBAW-POKEE. 



Chapter YI. 

LAWS a:nd rules. 

The laws and rules constructed to govern 
any game should be few and simple^ and as 
equitable as the conditions mil permit. Many 
of those now in use w^hich relate to Draw-Poker 
are^ however, contradictory in their character, 
and embarrass players who endeavor to comply 
with them. 

We do not propose to insert in this volume 
rules that are no^v acknowledged and assented 
to by every one who ever played Draw-Poker. 
We have assumed that the reader knows that 
a full pack of cards is used in the game; that 
five cards are dealt to each player, one at a time 
alternately, commencing with the player im- 
mediately to the left of the dealer ; that the 
deal passes to the left, and each player takes 
it in turn ; that the cards must be shufiled above 
the table, that each player has the right, after 
placing the required chips in the pool, to dis- 



i 



DBAW-POKER. 68 

card an}^ or all of liis original cards and I'eceive 
an equal niiinlDer from the dealer ; that when 
a bet is made the next player must respond^ 
or pass out; that the age, or eldest hand, is 
entitled to the pool, if no bet is made after the 
draw ; that each player must i^ep his hand on, 
or above the table ; that on a call, each player 
must shoAv his hand to the board, and that the 
best poker hand mns, even if its holder mis- 
called it ; that the player to the left of the age 
may straddle it, and the player next to him 
double straddle it, and so on ; that if the player 
entitled to make the first straddle decline it, 
none can take place that hand ; that the age 
has the last say, and passes to the left, if the 
original holder announces himself out. 

In many sections of the country rules are to be 
found somewhat different from any we have here. 
But really this is of no consequence, provided 
that those they have are equitable, and that the 
players are aware of their existence. So long 
as all at the table ao;ree that certain conditions 
shall govern, no trouble can arise. But the 
difficulty to "be apprehended lies in the fact that 
some unusual circumstance may occur, in which 
a rule may be constinied to suit a certain con- 



64 DEAW-POKEK. 

tingency, to the detriment of some particular 
player. Every party, then, should announce 
before beginning the game the precise rules 
under which they expect to act. 

We wish to consider but a few, which have 
been variously ^ interpreted, and remain at the 
present day unsettled. 

/ Rule 1. 

The deal is determined by throwing cards 
around, face up, to each player, and he who 
receives the first Jack has the first deal. 

J 

[The first deal is a matter of no consequence ; but the object of de- 
termining it by a certain card, Tivhich may require a quarter of the pack 
to be exposed before it appears, is not without a purpose. The dealer 
sees from the manner in which the cards run, the extent of shuffling 
they require ; and the trifle delay gives the players an opportunity of 
seating themselves properly at the table.] 

Rule 2. — The Dealek. 

The dealer has certain duties to perform, the 
enforcement of which, to a certain extent, is 
incumbent on the entire board. He must have 
his cards properly shuffled and cut ; and he 
must deal to each player five cards,, one at a 



DEAW-POKER. 65 

time alternately, mtlioiit exposing any of them. 

1. Sliould lie, in dealing, expose a player's 
card, the player may take it or reject it, at his 
option, if he has not raised his other cards. 

2. Should he deal a player more or less than 
five cards, the player may demand that cards 
be added to or taken from his hand, whethei^ 
he has raised his cards or not, or demand a new 
deal, at his option. 

[It will be perceived that the entire board is interested in this rule, 
as it gives the player a nominal advantage. Notwithstanding, it is 
strictly jnst. The old , rule that obliged the player to discover the 
dealer^ s error before the cards were raised, was illogical. Each player 
is entitled to five cards ; should he find more than five in his hand, he 
might, under the old rule, be induced to dissemble rather than be thrown 
out of the hand, and discard more than he intended to draw, without 
caUing attention to the error. And, besides, it places the player at the 
mercy of the dealer, as it is impossible at all times to tell the number of 
cards dealt you until the hand is raised.] 

3. The card or cards drawn from a hand which 
contains too many, must be placed at the bot- 
tom of the pack. The card or cards added to a 
hand which contains too few, must be dealt 
from the top of the pack. 

4. After the discards are made^ should the 
dealer expose any card or cards of the draw, 
in dealing them to the player, he must 



66 DKAW-POKER. 

place tlie exposed card or cards at the bottom 
of tlie pack, continue to supply in turn tlie rest 
of the party, and then return to the player 
whose cards were thus exposed and supply 
him. Should the player, however, expose his 
cards by accident, or otherwise, after receiving 
them from the dealer, he must keep them. 

[The players are entitled to the cards that would naturally fall to 
them, if no accident occurred ; and it is justly claimed that the diversion 
iihould effect only the hand that caused it, and not extend to any other 
interested in the pot.] 

5. The dealer must announce the number of 
cards he is about to draw to complete his owm 
hand, and he must take them, if he has set them 
apart for that pui^ose. Having once announced 
the number of cards he has drawn, he is not 
obliged to repeat it ; nor is he allowed to tell 
the luimber of cards any other player has 
drawn. 

It ought to be noticed perhaps that formerly 
the dealer paid a chip for the privilege of deal- 
ing, such chip forming the basis of the pot. At 
the present day, however, this course is not 
adopted. The player sitting to the left of the 
dealer, who always holds the age, must start 
the game by placing at least one chip on the 



DRAW-POKER. 67 

table, whiclL becomes the nucleus of tlie pot and 
the property of the board. This amount is 
termed the ^^ blind/' and may consist of one 
chip up to half the limit. 

Rule 3. — ^The Player. 

The player has certain duties to perform, 
which must be strictly enforced. 

1. He must not raise his cards until they are 
all dealt. Should he do so, he is obliged to 
accept any card, even an exposed one, that may 
be dealt him. 

2. After he discards, he is responsible for the 
number of cards which he receives from the 
dealer ; should he raise them and find more or 
less than he called for, making more or less than 
five cards in his hand, he forfeits all his inter- 
est in that deal to the board. Should he dis- 
cover the error before raising his cards, the 
dealer is obliged to correct it, and give to or take 
from the draw such card as in his judgment 
is the coiTect one. 

3. When he passes out of a hand, he must at 
once throw up his cards, without exposing any 
of them, and he must not make any remark cal- 



68 BKAW-POKER. 

Ciliated to influence the otlier plaj^ers. After 
liis hand has been thrown np^ he cannot recall it. 
4. All antes, straddles, and bets must be made 
in chips and placed in the pool. Should* he fill 
his blind at the start, and not wish to come in, 
throwing up his cards and not drawing any, he 
is entitled to withdraw half of it. 

EuLE 4. — FoiJL Hais^d. 

A foul hand, which is one that does not con 
tain precisely five cards, cannot win, no matter 
what the circumstances may be, and the pot 
must be given to the best poker hand among 
the remaining contestants. 

Should it occur that on the call of hands,^ a 
foul hand is the only one that is shown, the 
others having been thrown up, the entire pot 
remains the property of the table, to be played 
for and determined the next hand, in the usual 
way, and the double pot thus created goes to 
the winner of it. 

[The old rule that allowed the foul hand to win the pot, when the 
other hands had been thrown up, is pernicious in the extreme. It is 
not based upon either equity or reason, as it evidently permits the 
holder of it to be benefited by his own wrong, contrary to the spirit of 
all law, written or otherwise.] 



DEAW-POKER. 69 

RiJLE 5. — Value of Haisds. 

Hands are determined by the highest cards ; 
the highest Paii^ ; the highest two Pairs ; the 
highest Triplets ; the highest Straight : Ace 
and King being in the highest, and Ace and 
Deuce in the lowest ; the highest Flush ; the 
highest Full-hand (the threes of which deter- 
mine) ; the highest Fours ; the highest Straight- 
flush. The Ace is always high, except in the 
lowest Straight, where it is reckoned as One ; 
the King is next ; and Queen, Jack, down to 
Deuce, follow consecutively. 

All ties are decided by the highest odd card 
or cards., Should the hands be an exact tie the 
pool must be equally divided between them. 

Rule 6. — The Stake. 

The stake, or amount of chips, taken by each 
player, must be paid for at the time, and the 
money placed in the chip-box, which should be 
in charge of one of the players. When the hour 
aiiives that has been mutually agreed upon at 
which the game is to end, any player has the 
right to demand the redemption of any chips 
which he may hold. 



70 DRAW-POKEK. 



Any iinsettlea indebtedness tliat may have 
been created between players during the game, 



must be satisfactorily arranged at its close. 

[Modern Poker, with all its pleasures, has brought with it in its train, 
one very objectionable feature. We mean the credit system. To make 
rules for its adjustment, satisfactory both to winner and loser, would | 
require the genius of Micawber ; and even that gentleman would find! 
at times his creative power taxed to an unusual extent. i 

The credit system originated in the idea that some one of the playera" 
could get along without using any money during the game. Each one 
of course imagined himself to be the favored person, and took a cettainj 
amount of chips out of the box as his stake, merely as a matter of form,* 
agreeing to return them at the close of the game. Well, at the termi- 
nation of the play, the fortunate player found himself, as he predicted 
a winner, and the labor and annoyance of paying for his chips at the 
start, were thus saved. If each of the others had fared as well, there 
could be no objection raised against the system ; indeed it would be 
perfect. But, unfortunately, in this important particular, it has invaria- 
bly failed. We must therefore class it among certain problems, in which 
if is an important element, and if it could be but eliminated all wx)uld 
be well. 

Some improvement in the matter of borrowing chips became necessary 
when the box was found to be exhausted, and a gentleman hit upon the 
liappy expedient of making and issuing paper due bills, representing cer- 
tain sums for which he was personally responsible. These issues passed 
freely from hand to hand, and for a time gave promise of a happy solu- 
tion of the entire difficulty. But when the game came to an end, the 
uld trouble appeared, and money was found to be as necessary as ever. 

The issue of due-bills was not original with our friend the poker 
player. Mr. William Patterson, who organized the Bank of England in 
1694, was unquestionably ahead of him, and extended the promise-to- 
pay system to its supposed utmost limit. It may be remarked, that even 
Mr. Patterson found some difficulty in convincing unreasonable people 
that one issue could be redeemed out of the proceeds of another, without 
impairing the value of either. But in the end, it was found that a car- 



DEAW-POKERv 71 

tain quantity of money was absolutely necessary, to mafiie the scheme 
perfect. 

Since Mr. Patterson's time, however, many great improvements have 
been introduced in his system ; and at the present day, among ourselves, 
an experiment of gigantic proportions is in full blast, in which the high- 
est tribunal of the land has enacted that a piece of paper shall possess a 
positive and intrinsic value, and that the quantity of it which may. be is- 
sued, shall in no wise circumscribe or retard its functions as a money. 

In this experiment, as printing presses and paper are the only ex- 
penditures necessary, it is expected that great national prosperity will fol- 
low in its wake. If it prove itself a success, the legal luminaries who 
invented the process are expected to immediately set about repairing and 
altering a few of the more obsolete laws of the planetary system, which^ 
in their present state,* do not appear to benefit anybody. 

But to return to poker credit. It is perfectly clear that, as the play- 
ers cannot avail themselves of the national prerogative to laugh at their 
creditors, they must pay up or be disgraced. Hence no one should 
play who is not prepared to settle his losses at the end of the game, or 
within a reasonable time thereafter ; and that a stringent rule, tacitly- 
acknowledged by all, making a player with outstanding poker indebted- 
ness ineligible to play with the party, should be adopted and enforced.] 



KuLE 7. — Custom. 

Slioiild any disi3ute arise in determining tlie 
value of any particular hand, or any particular 
method of i3lay, in a party of gentlemen who 
usually jjlay together, the decision must be in 
accordance with the precedents Avhich they 
liave established in similar cases, and a majority 
of those in the game should so decide it. 



72 BEAW-POKEK. j ^' 

G *^ ... /^"^ 

I '^ We must now bring this little vofiime to a>4. 

close. We offer no apology for its appearance ; 

nor do we "wisli to liint tliat it was hurriedly 

AAaitten, without any view to publication. The 

latter indeed was an af ter- thought. -i .^.^ fi^ 

It was discovered by Dr. Johnson that works 
not written to be published, were, nevertheless, • 
published to be read. And so (if a slip or two 
in orthography, and the eccentricity of a few 
punctuation points be pardoned) we mil say 
no more on that head. 

The morality of card-playing has been a I 
fruitful theme for discussion. "We do not pro- 
pose to enter the lists. Those who have mnk- 
ed at it, and those who have denounced it, may 
both be in the wrong. It must be admitted, 
however, by its most bitter enemy that, as -a 
source of recreation, when moderately indulged 
in, and stripped of its objectionable features, it 
presents advantages not to be obtained in anv 
other amusement. 



THE EKD, 



N^ 



